organic farmers (david) vs. monsanto corporation (goliath)

I posted earlier on the “Future of Food” documentary which chronicles the dire situations of small or organic farmers and their dwindling power in comparison to agro mega-businesses such as Monsanto. Now, in New York, the struggle continues…

Eliza Barclay, NPR: A New York federal court today dismissed a lawsuit against agribusiness giant Monsanto brought by thousands of certified organic farmers. The farmers hoped the suit would protect them against infringing on the company’s crop patents in the future.

The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association and several other growers and organizations do not use Monsanto seeds. But they were betting that the judge would agree that Monsanto should not be allowed to sue them if pollen from the company’s patented crops happened to drift into their fields.

Dan Ravicher, executive director of the Public Patent Foundation and lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, told The Salt that Monsanto remains a “patent bully” and that the judge’s decision was “gravely disappointing.”

Monsanto sees it differently, however. In a statement on the judge’s decision, executive vice president David F. Snively said, “This decision is a win for all farmers as it underscores that agricultural practices such as ag biotechnology, organic and conventional systems do and will continue to effectively coexist in the agricultural marketplace.”